Safety pin



Jan. 7.,1941. F. MAGlbsoN 2,227,941

' SAFETY PIN i Original Filed-Aug. 5, 1937 Patented Jan. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES SAFET'YPIN Frank Magidson, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Pittsburgh Tag Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 5,

1937, Serial No. 157,507

Renewed July 11, 1939 4 Claims.

My present invention relates to safety pins and more especially to safety pins made from a single length of spring wire wherein the point 1 is guided from either side of the pin into a fully 5 protected position where it is held against lateral displacement.

Safety pins and pins of the safety type have heretofore been made in a wide variety of forms. ,Y The commonest type being that in which vthe head or guard is made from sheet metal suitably pressedinto shape and secured to a spring wire body. While this type is in the main satisfactory, it is relatively difficult and expensive to produce. A number of varied and complex operations is required` to produce this pin and while the'point thereof is comparatively well protected, it can spring free under some conditions or may fail to seat properly or at all when closed rapidly, such as when a pin is beingV attached to a large number of articles, e. g., clothing and garments. Numerous attempts have been made in the past to produce a safety pin which is easier and cheaper to make and which avoids the use of p sheet metal guards or'separate guard portions which must be individually attached to the re mainder of the pin. Many of these prior proposals have taken a form in which the pin can be closed only from one side, that is the point of the pin can be introduced into the head or guard only in one direction. Such pins have never been satisfactory in use and this fact has been recognized byfailure of the art and industry to adopt such so-called one-sided pins. Aside from the fact that these pins have been onesided, they have usually been unsightly and relatively complicated, involving for example ythe wrapping ofspring wire about spring wire and the use of spring wire twists or knots. Such pins are notvonly difficult to make but are impractical. Moreover, they often have sharp projections and hence are unsuitable for use on many materials which would be damaged thereby. Such pins do not lend themselves well to production on automatic machines nor to rapid and easy handling.

Safety pins have heretofore been madefrom a single length `or piece of wire, but such pins are subject tosome or-all of the difiiculties and disadvantages above outlined as well as to others which are apparentl from the pins themselves. While the prior artis replete with attempts to produce improved safety pins, the industry is still in need of a simple, inexpensive safety pin and its failure to adopt anysuch pins is cogent (Cl. 2li-159) evidence of their deficiencies and impracticability.

It is, accordingly, one of the objects of my present invention to produce a safety pin which fully overcomes the diiculties and disadvantages in connection with prior pins and which has new and useful features and characteristics peculiar to itself. y

Another object resides in a safety pin which can be closed from either side, and hence termed two-sided, wherein the point is simply and accurately guided into a seat wherein it is fully protected and wherein it is not subject to inadvertent lateral displacement.

An additional object resides in the production from a single length of wire of a relatively strong and simple two-sided safety pin which has no portions whatever which can cause damage to clothing or garments and which is fully snagproof.

A further object resides in a two-sided safety pin made from a single length of wire which can be simply and inexpensively produced on automatic machinery and which is not only satisfactory in appearance, but is exceptionally efiicient in operation and use.

A still furtherobject lies in the production of a safety pin which is extremely compact and pleasing in appearance and design and which can be produced at a fraction of the cost of conventional two-piece pins.

Other and further objects and advantages will be pointed out hereinafter or will be apparent to or understood by those skilled in this art.

In the accompanying drawing wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my present invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of my new safety pin;

Fig. 2 is a bottom edge view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view;

Fig. 5 is a view partially in section and partially in elevation taken along the line V-V of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a front elevational View of the safety pin looking from right to left of Fig. l.

Fig. 'I is a side elevational view of a slightly modified form of my safety pin.

Like numerals indicate corresponding parts in the several views of the drawing.

The safety pin illustrated in the drawing is produced by suitable bending and looping operations, from a single length of spring wire stock which is preferably, although not necessarily,

spring steel. The safety pin illustrated and which is designated as a whole by the numeral I0, is provided with a back bar II and a pin bar I2 connected at their rearward ends by a coil loop I3, the size of the loop and the diameter of the Wire being so chosen as to provide the desired amount of tension in the pin when it is closed. The forward or opposite end of-pin bar I2 is provided with a suitable point I4 which may be formed thereon in any known manner as by grinding or rolling.

The forward or opposite end of back bar .II4

is offset as shown to provide an angular portion I5 connected to back bar IIl by 'a substantially right-angled bend I6 which, however, is smoothly curved on its exterior so as to prevent it from catching or tearing the clothing, garments orthe like. I'I which is substantially parallel to backlbar II and which is 'reversely bent upon itself to form a blunt rounded forward portion I8 and a portion I9 which being substantially parallel to portion I'I, and spaced therefrom lies in a plane common to portions I'I and I9 and back bar II. Portions II and I9, together with rounded forward portion I8, form the sheath-like nose for receiving and guarding the pointed end of the pin bar.

Beyond portion I9 the wire is bent in the general direction of the bar back as at 2B to provide a portion 2I which is then bent 180 upon itself providing a rounded bend 22 and a portion 23 parallel to and closely abutting portion 2 I From portion 23, the wire extends underneath pin i bar I2, when the pin is in closed position, and is provided on the opposite side (the side not visible in Fig. 1) with the same construction as described in connection with portions 2I, 22 and 23 and which are therefore similarly numbered. The wire terminates at the point 24 in closely abutting relationship to portion 20 in such manner as to leave no space nor opening therebetween which would snag, catch or cause tearing of material to which the pin is aflixed or with Which it comes in contact.

From Figure 5 in particular, it will be noted that portions 2l, 23 on each side are disposed at an angle of approximately 609 to-each other, thus forming a substantially V-shaped guide, the bottom or apex of which forms a'secure seat for pin bar I2, while at the same time, due to the steep slope of the substantially V-shaped guide comprised of parts 2I, 23, accidental lateral or other displacement of the pin bar and point is effectively Q prevented. The free space betweenportions 22 and the angular back bar portion I5 is sufficient to accommodate passage of the pin bar therethrough.

It will also be noted that point I4 ofv the pin, when the pin is closed, lies within the nose and in exact alignment with the nose portions I1 and- I 9 which in themselves are in alignment with back bar I I, as above pointed out, and because of this, no lateral projection of the pin point is possible.

The Wire portions 2|, 22, 23 on each side constitute a substantially V-shaped guide which has been designated as a whole` by the numeral 25. This guide, together with portions I5, I1, I8 and I9, forms the head of the pin and this head is designated as a whole by the numeral 26. It will be further noted that back bar II and pin bar I2 are substantially parallel and extend substantially tangentially from coil loop I3. Absence of complicated structure and absence of any portions which ,might catch oritear gar- Beyond said angular portion I5 vis portion' ments will be particularly noted as well as the fact that the pin is a two-sided pin, as above defined, and can be easily and rapidly closed or opened from either side as required. Since pins of the kind herein contemplated by me are to be extensively used in connection with pin tickets, tags and the like for clothing, garments, etc., the importance of the foregoing features will be appreciated.

While I have shown a preferred form of a safety L Spin embodying the features of my present invention, I wish it to be understood that the fore- 'going is presented as exemplary rather than limitative and that I may make suitable changes therein in accordance with the circumstances of any particular use'or practice. While in Figure 1 the guide is shown as formed by bending the wire toward the observer and terminating on the side away from the observer, I may of course make these in the opposite manner with the wire terminating on the side toward the observer. I may also make such changes in size, proportion or configuration as may suit any given conditions of usage and all such changes whether they be by Way of additions, omissions, modifications or substitutions are deemed to be a part of my present invention so long as they fall within the spirit or scope of the appended claims.

While I have shown coil loop I3 as a so-called left-handed coil, although the former is preferred as it follows standard practice and has certain recognized advantages both for the purposes of production and use. While in Figs. 1 to 6, I have shown portion I9 of head 26 as substantially horizontal, this may be made to incline somewhat as shown at I9', Fig. 7, thus slightly lowering portion 20 and causing point I4 to rest thereon, affording even better protection for point I4. While in Figs. 1 to 6 I have shown portion I5 of head 26 as being aligned substantially centrally of portions 2I, 23, I may, by altering the length of portion I9 change this relationship so that the guide 25 lies rearwardly of portion I5 or nearer to loop I3 than does part I5, as shown in Fig. '7.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure Vby Letters Patent is:

1. A safety pin made from a single length of spring wire and comprising a pin bar which is pointed at one end, a back bar which at one end is joined by a loop to the unpointed end of said pin bar and at the other end has a point-receiving nose and a substantially V-shaped guide; said nose and guide being formed by looping and bending the wire of the back bar to produce a portion extending angularly toward the pin bar, two spaced forwardly extending portions located in a plane common thereto and to the back bar and connected at their forward ends by a curved portion to form said point-receiving nose; said guide comprising bilaterally symmetrical portions converging to an apex which is in substantial alignment with the pin bar side of said point-*receiving nose;

said angular portion being adapted to guide the pointed end of the pin bar into said substantially V-shaped guide from either side of the pin; said pin bar, when the pin is closed, .being in contact with the apex of said substantially V-shaped guide whereby the pointed end of the pin bar is held in position within said nose; the back bar terminat-A ingin said apex in juxtaposition to the adjacent portions of said substantially V-shaped guide,

2. A structure according to claim 1, in which the substantially V-shaped guide consists of but two right-handed coil, I may if I so desire make it a strands of wire arranged in side-by-side abutting relation.

3. A structure according to claim 1 in which the nose forming portion remote from the back bar and which joins the substantially V-shaped guide is so inclined that the pointed end of the pin bar rests thereon when the pin is in closed position.

4. A structure according to claim 1, in which the substantially V-shaped guide lies rearwardly or nearer to the loop joining the pin and back bars than the portion which extends angularly from the back bar toward the pin bar.

FRANK MAGIDSON. 

